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UCS Satellite Database (Updated) - Sept 1 2015

Assembled by experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the Satellite Database is a listing of the more than 1000 operational satellites currently in orbit around Earth.

Our intent in producing the database is to create a research tool for specialists and non-specialists alike by collecting open-source information on operational satellites and presenting it in a format that can be easily manipulated for research and analysis.

It is available as both a downloadable Excel file and in a tab-delimited text format. A version is also provided in which the "Name" column contains only the official name of the satellite in the case of government and military satellites, and the most commonly used name in the case of commercial and civil satellites.

Satellite Quick Facts(includes launches through 8/31/15)

Total number of operating satellites: 1,305

United States: 549

Russia: 131

China: 142

Other: 483

LEO: 696

MEO: 87

Elliptical: 41

GEO: 481

Total number of U.S. satellites: 549

Civil: 21

Commercial: 250

Government: 126

Military: 152

The database is updated roughly quarterly (subscribe in the sidebar to the right). The database contains 26 types of data for each satellite, including technical information about each satellite (mass, power, launch date, expected lifetime) and its orbit (apogee, perigee, inclination, and period), as well as information on what the satellite is used for, and who owns, operates, and built the satellite.